The 2016 edition of the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicked off on Monday, and the two-hour opening keynote outlined all of the developments people can expect from Apple products in the near future. Here is a quick rundown of the most important points.
iPhone
The news of a Siri software development kit will see the virtual assistant coming to a number of third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, WeChat, and Slack. Apple’s iMessage chat app will catch up to its rivals in the upcoming iOS 10, allowing for inline rich links, expanded emojis, and text effects such as changing text size or writing in “invisible ink” that can only be viewed after swiping. Notifications are getting an overhaul, and the Photos app will make advancements in face and object recognition, sorting, and clustering.
Mac
Apple’s OS X operating system for Mac will be rebranded as MacOS. The newest iteration, MacOS Sierra, will give Apple Watch owners the ability to unlock their Mac without even entering their user name or password. Siri will also be introduced to Macs, allowing users to find files, perform calculations, search the internet, or switch between apps, among other actions.. Sierra will also enable people to view their computer desktop on their phones, and it will boast better sharing across devices in general thanks to iCloud improvements.
Apple Watch
WatchOS 3 will gain several new features and performance tweaks. Favorite apps will load faster, and the side button will bring up the dock. A new feature known as SOS can call emergency services directly from the watch, while the Activity app will allow users to share their progress with others. A new meditation app known as Breathe will also be part of the upgrade, which will be made available for free to all users this fall.
Apple Music and Apple TV
One of the biggest shakeups announced is the revamp of Apple Music, which will employ a new layout that keeps people’s music libraries front and center and makes it easy to find past iTunes downloads. Song lyrics will also be readily available, while a For You tab will offer daily curated playlists provided by Apple.
Meanwhile, Apple TV will get some new capabilities, including the addition of Siri to help users search the database with topical queries and even find videos on YouTube.
iOS 10 and MacOS Sierra will be available this fall.
